Improving Productivity with an Integrated Communication Infrastructure

According to Microsoft Technology, it is estimated that most SMBs have 10-20% of wasted time in their work week due to lack of efficient business processes and a poor communications infrastructure. Hosted Unified Communications solution provider, Alteva believes that many businesses today do not have a realistic understanding of the impact that time waste and poor productivity has on an organization.

“The biggest disconnect is that current communication systems are separate systems,” said Louis Hayner, Chief Sales Officer of Alteva. Hayner said that as employees begin to work from anywhere, not just one central office location, an integrated communication infrastructure allows a business to discern a person’s availability and communicate with that person through their preferred communication method.

In the end, it's about creating efficiency and there are many different drivers when it comes to improving workplace productivity.  Implementing various types of technologies, especially those of a collaborative nature, top that list.  Hosted solutions like VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) and Unified Communications include features just as messaging and collaboration, answering your office phone from your cell phone, real-time presence status, desktop sharing, IVR, having voicemails show up as an emails, find me follow me, call recording, etc. - all of which drastically improve productivity.

Recent Microsoft survey

In a recent Microsoft survey, 60-70% of SMBs consistently reported that Microsoft Communication Services helps them communicate better, with 50-60% reporting that the solution as well makes them more productive. Alteva estimates that those numbers are even higher when you integrate that with hosted VoIP and UC because of the added unification of disparate technologies.

Hayner clarified that these specific solutions from Alteva are only available to enterprises with 25 employees or more. But, similar communication solutions provide excellent benefits for small businesses, furthermore the improved productivity.

“Whether you are doing from 10 to 50 employees, or from 50 employees down to 10, these communication systems are scalable,” he said. “You can get what you need today, and integrate other features when ready.”

These solutions can improve productivity for customers, so that they can see more business transactions in their companies. That productivity gain translates to a revenue gain. Imagine, for instance the value of an increase in productivity that allows just one more transaction per week for a company with:

- $1-1.2 million average revenue generated per year- An average margin of <10% or $100,000 per year- Average 50 transactions per month at an average $2,000 per transaction

One additional $2,000 transaction per week would mean an additional $96,000 per year, or 8-10% growth!  If hosted UC solutions enable the above yield, you begin to see that utilizing such a valuable solution as a matter of fact makes it invaluable.  Not only will collaborative technologies save money, nevertheless allow businesses to streamline processes, permitting more time to concentrate on what they do best - be it customer service, sales, or research.

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